| WC4Life said: The laws of demand exist in digital space too. I don't think console manufacturer can fix prices for other publishers. Let's say EA does $60 pre-order for a new game, Activision can counter and go for $50 instead. At the moment development costs are gathered mainly from physical retail sales, that's why the pressure to drop digital price is not there. Physical copies are already manufactured and thus take precedence, the money has been already invested by the publisher. When it's all digital and a high budget game bombs then the publisher has no other choice but to lower the price. PC digital space will keep console equivalent in check. Game costing $20 more on console digital store will not have any chance against PC digital version, when both are digital only. |
Will it work like that? I mean, sure EA and Activision compete with each other for game sales but with prices too? There are few gamers who actually try and consider their purchases between 2 games based on price. People usually either want a game or they don't and then price decides where they get it from. If there is only 1 outlet, the retail price of $50 for Game A vs $60 for Game B is pointless if the customer only wants Game B.
They could make it more appealing to buy digital, whether it's by price or by other options in a highstreet store, then many might consider buying digital which has a better turnover per copy sold, has no '2nd hand market' either. Manufacturing costs will go down as over time they'll need to produce less physical copies.
... but they don't. While PSN has games listed as RRP (£50 plus) and retail compete with each other to release a game at £40 or less, buying games digitally is not appealing.
Hmm, pie.
